Column Type

Assign a specific data type—Text, Number, or Date—to your table columns. This ensures meaningful behavior for sorting, filtering, and formatting.

How to set column type

  1. Edit the table macro or import dialog.
  2. Open the column settings for the header you want to configure.
  3. Under Data type, select from Text, Number, or Date.
  4. The setting applies immediately as you change it.
  5. Click Save the page to finalize it.

Why it matters

Specifying the correct type enables accurate filtering, sorting, and formatting. Numbers align correctly and sort numerically; dates are recognized and ordered chronologically. Without it, everything is treated as plain text.

Use case: Track release dates
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Release Manager

Acme Co — Product Team

Context and challenge:
The product team tracks feature rollout dates alongside version numbers in a Confluence table. By default, date strings and numeric fields sort lexically—causing “10/01” to appear before “2/15” or version “2” before “10”—leading to misordered release plans.

Solution – Explicit column typing:
The Release Manager sets the “First Appearance” column type to Date and the “Power Level” column to Number. Confluence then applies true chronological and numeric sorting when users click those headers, ensuring correct order.

Benefits:
• Accurate sequencing: Releases and metrics sort in true date and numeric order.
• Clear visibility: Stakeholders see upcoming and past releases in proper sequence.
• Reduced confusion: Eliminates manual reordering or external spreadsheets.
• Flexible views: Combine date and numeric sorts to compare release cadence against feature complexity.

Impact:
After enabling typed columns, the team cut release-planning errors by 85 % and reduced time spent cleaning tables by 50 %, speeding up stakeholder reviews and decision cycles.